DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN
400 Murray Krieger Hall; (949) 824-6406
E-mail: german@uci.edu
Jens Rieckmann, Department Chair
Faculty
Gail Hart, Ph.D. University of Virginia, Director, Humanities Core Course; Director, Center for International Education; and Professor of German (eighteenth- and nineteenth-century German literature, drama, fictional prose)
Marcia Klotz, Ph.D. Stanford University, Assistant Professor of German and Film Studies (twentieth-century German literature, cultural studies, critical theory, feminism, film)
Ruth Kluger, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor Emerita of German (Kleist, nineteenth-century literature, Stifter, Holocaust literature)
Meredith Lee, Ph.D. Yale University, Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education and Professor of German (lyric poetry, eighteenth-century literature, Goethe, music and literature)
Herbert Lehnert, Ph.D. University of Kiel, Research Professor of German (modern German literature)
Glenn S. Levine, Ph.D. University of Texas, Austin, German Language Program Director and Assistant Professor of German (applied linguistics, pedagogy, German-Jewish culture and literature)
William J. Lillyman, Ph.D. Stanford University, Research Professor of German (Romanticism, Goethe, Tieck)
Jens Rieckmann, Ph.D. Harvard University, Department Chair and Professor of German (twentieth-century literature, fin-de-siècle Austria, Hofmannsthal, Thomas Mann)
Thomas P. Saine, Ph.D. Yale University, Professor of German (eighteenth-century German literature, Goethe)
John H. Smith, Ph.D. Princeton University, Director, Humanities Center and Professor of German (eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature and intellectual history, literary theory)
Affiliated Faculty
Wolfgang Bialas, Ph.D. University of Leipzig, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Visiting Professor, 2000-03 (philosophy, comparative literature and cultural history, contemporary German politics and society, Marxist theory, Frankfurt School and Weimar Republic)
The Department of German pursues a program of German studies as part of the humanistic endeavor to understand and evaluate culture. Departmental courses are focused on language, literature, and film in context, that is, within the historical, social, intellectual, and political circumstances of their production and continuing reception. Clearly, we come to understand ourselves and our immediate culture much better through the study of different languages and cultural systems. Therefore, university language study is not merely a matter of memorizing vocabulary and practicing pronunciation. It is the serious investigation of a foreign linguistic system and the cultures which are defined by it. It is difficult--in fact, nearly impossible--for us to scrutinize and analyze something we know as intimately as our native language, and yet this is the order by which we formulate our thoughts and the order which may sometimes formulate our thoughts for us. The "foreignness" of a foreign language allows us to objectify an entire linguistic system, to observe its structure and its usage, and then to make comparisons with our own linguistic situation. This kind of knowledge of one's native language is the foundation of critical reflection on texts of any nature--historical, philosophical, literary, political, legal, journalistic, and others. Thus, serious study of a foreign language is absolutely crucial to a university education. The Department teaches its language courses with this principle in mind and seeks to provide its students with a framework for these linguistic and cultural comparisons.
Department literature and film courses offer a variety of critical perspectives from historical, social, or politically engaged readings to feminist and post-structuralist analysis. Topics range from studies of individual authors, periods, and genres to the history of German-language literature and film, the theory of criticism, and the relations of German-language literature to other literatures.
The Department offers a major and a minor in German Studies. The major can be combined as a double major with any other UCI course of study; see an academic counselor for information.
All courses in the Department are taught in German to the extent compatible with the aim of the course. In the lower-division language courses students develop skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing through an engaging, collaborative, task-based curriculum. The courses place a great deal of emphasis on meaningful cultural literacy in German, employing a diverse range of authentic texts and materials from the beginning, including avid use of Internet resources. During the second year (intermediate), students benefit from a curriculum based on authentic literary and cultural content (theater, media, and such) and global simulation of "real world" situations. These courses have the additional goal of contributing to students' education in the humanities and developing their skills in critical thinking.
After completion of the intermediate level, students enroll in the German 100 series (Advanced Reading, Writing, Oral Communication) and in Introduction to German Literature and Culture (German 101), which provides an introduction to genre, periodization, and the German terminology used in critical analysis. This course is taken in preparation for the upper-division literature and film courses (German 102, 117, 118, 119, 120), which range historically from the Reformation to the present and cover a variety of topics and approaches. A further series of courses (German 130, 140, 160) is taught in English for both German Studies students and those who do not speak the language, and covers topics in German literature and culture, literary theory, and criticism as well as German-language cinema.
Students are encouraged to participate in work- and study-abroad programs in German-speaking countries. The Department recommends the University's Education Abroad Program (EAP) in Göttingen, Germany. Göttingen is an old university town in central Germany, where EAP students complete an advanced language program and enroll in university courses with great success, usually achieving native or near-native fluency during this exciting year abroad. EAP also offers semester- and year-long programs in Berlin and Bayreuth. All EAP courses are accepted for UCI graduation credit and many contribute to fulfillment of the German Studies major and minor requirements. More information is available from the academic counselors.
Students are placed in German courses according to their years of previous study. In general, one year of high school work is equated with one quarter of UCI work. Thus students with one, two, three, and four years of high school German will normally enroll in German 1B, 1C, 2A, and 2B respectively. Students with prior experience in German are required to take a placement test. Details about the test can be obtained from the Department. Exceptions to this placement procedure must have the approval of the director of first- or second-year German instruction. Students with transfer credit for college-level German may not repeat those courses.
CAREERS FOR THE GERMAN STUDIES MAJOR
The ability to speak and write German can open up opportunities in communications, foreign trade and banking, transportation, government, science and technology, tourism, library services, and teaching. Because German plays such an important role in modern technology, employers in international law, business, the foreign service, the airline industry, journalism, professional translating, and all levels of education increasingly seek students with a knowledge of German. German is excellent preparation for professional schools. It can be combined successfully with work in the natural sciences, business and management, and the computer sciences, and it is invaluable for advanced work in the humanities and the arts.
Recent graduates of the German Department have begun careers in international law, business, the foreign service, the airline industry, journalism, and all levels of education, including university teaching.
The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE
University Requirements: See pages 54-59.
School Requirements: See pages 218-219.
Departmental Requirements for the Major
German 100A, B, C; German 101; eight upper-division courses in German literature and culture; and two courses selected from German 140, 150, 160, Linguistics 3, English and Comparative Literature CL 50A, B, C, courses in German history, German philosophy, or German political science, as approved by the advisor for the major. The upper-division writing requirement must be met by additional course work either within or outside the Department.
Residence Requirements for the Major: At least five of the upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Departmental Requirements for the Minor
Seven upper-division courses, which must include German 100A, B, C and German 101. Not more than one course from German 140, 150, or 160 may be counted for the minor. German 139 may not be used to satisfy minor requirements.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: Four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. By petition, two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, providing course content is approved in advance by the appropriate department chair.
Distinguished Visiting Professors
The Department's Distinguished Visiting Professors program brings students into direct contact with some of the outstanding scholars in the field of German Studies. Distinguished Visiting Professors typically visit for one quarter, during which they teach a graduate course and an undergraduate course and present a lecture to which students, faculty, and other members of the University community are invited. Program participants include Bengt Algot Sørenson (Odense), Uwe Ketelsen (Bochum), Peter Pütz (Bonn), Leslie Adelson (Ohio State), Hans Wysling (Zürich), Hans-Wolf Jäger (Bremen), Norbert Oellers (Bonn), Hans Rudolf Vaget (Smith College), Heinrich Detering (Göttingen), Wolfgang Martens (Munich), Anna Kuhn (UC Davis), Renate Möhrmann (Köln), Ülker Gökberk (Reed College), Stephanie Hammer (UC Riverside), Helmut Schneider (Bonn), Richard Gray (University of Washington), and Ursula Mahlendorf (UC Santa Barbara).
In its graduate courses the Department stresses theoretical understanding of the nature of literature and culture. Seminars focus on German literary and cultural development after 1700. An emphasis in Critical Theory is available to graduate students in all departments of the School of Humanities. A graduate emphasis in Feminist Studies also is available. Refer to the Women's Studies section of the Catalogue for information. In addition, graduate students in German may choose to complete an emphasis in Comparative Literature.
The graduate program in German is essentially a program leading to the Ph.D. The M.A. requires a minimum of one year in academic residence and must be completed in no more than two years of full-time graduate study. The Department will decide after completion of the M.A., at the latest, whether or not to permit the student to continue in the Ph.D. program. The M.A. thus may be in some cases a terminal degree. In those cases where the student enters the UCI graduate program in German with an M.A. from another institution, the Department will evaluate the student's progress during the first year of study before deciding to allow continuation toward the Ph.D.
Students who enter with normal academic preparation and pursue a full-time program of study ordinarily should be able to earn the Ph.D. degree within six years or less.
MASTER OF ARTS IN GERMAN
Before entering the program, a candidate is expected to have the equivalent of our undergraduate major. Students with a bachelor's degree in another subject may be considered for admission. Normally their course of studies will have to be extended in order to make up for the deficiency. However, each case is considered individually by the faculty. The minimum course requirement for the M.A. degree is nine courses, eight of which must be taken within the Department of German. Reading knowledge of a foreign language other than German also is required for the M.A. degree. Whenever possible, a candidate is urged to complete this requirement before entering the program. Further requirements follow.
The Preparation of a Reading List. All candidates should prepare as early as possible a list of works read in the field of German literature, both primary texts and critical works. This list should preferably be augmented by critical texts and by works from other literatures which, in the candidate's opinion, relate to the German works on the list. Since it should ultimately contain representative selections from various eras of German literature and some works of criticism, a tentative list must be discussed with the graduate advisor before the end of the fall quarter of the year in which the candidate expects to receive the M.A. Candidates should indicate on the list a number of works with which they are especially familiar. In its final form (including works read during the course of study both in and out of class) the list will be submitted together with the essay two weeks before the oral examination. It is the student's responsibility to keep the reading list current.
The Master's Essay. The purpose of the written part of the M.A. comprehensive examination is to show the candidate's methodological progress in interpreting German literature. It consists of an essay in which a text is elucidated and related to: (a) pertinent works by the same author, (b) its social and historical context, and (c) other works of German or other literatures with which the candidate is familiar. The level of the discussion will normally be enhanced by the candidate's knowledge of the relevant secondary literature. The topic of the essay should be tentatively formulated and reported to the graduate advisor before the end of the second quarter of the student's residence.
The Oral Examination. During the oral examination the following items will be discussed: (a) the essay, (b) the reading list. The discussion based on the reading list will focus on works which the student knows well, but may broaden into other areas.
One Year of Residence.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GERMAN
The Department requires a minimum of 22 approved courses from students entering with a bachelor's degree. These may include courses in philosophy, history, comparative literature, and others suitable for the individual student's program of study. The student also will participate in each of the German Department's colloquia. The student will augment the reading list and keep it current during the whole course of study. At least two years of residence are required.
Students entering with the master's degree will be advised individually as to remaining course requirements.
Since the majority of Ph.D. candidates choose careers as teachers, the German Department recognizes its obligation to offer them preparatory experience. Therefore, all candidates for the Ph.D. are required to teach under the supervision of a faculty member at least one course in each of three quarters (for which they will receive credit as German 399). Three of these courses may be counted toward the 22 courses required for the Ph.D.
Comprehensive Examination. There are two parts to the examination. In order to fulfill the written examination requirement the student will choose either (1) to present a lecture to the faculty and to the other graduate students, or (2) to write a three-part examination (one part on a significant author, one on a major genre, and one on an historical period) within a period of two weeks. The examination essays or the lecture will be on a text or texts selected by the faculty from a reading list submitted by the student for the comprehensive examination. The second part of the comprehensive examination is the formal oral qualifying examination of up to three hours duration ranging over the whole field of the student's studies, to be taken within two weeks after completion of the written examination. The student will submit the reading list at least two weeks before the written examination after consultation with the members of the examination committee.
Language Requirements. The candidate must demonstrate reading knowledge of two languages or extensive competence in one language other than German or English. Choice of language(s) depends on the student's area of specialization. French and Latin are recommended. For the various ways in which these requirements may be fulfilled, the student should see the graduate advisor.
Dissertation. Toward the end of the second year of study, the student should formulate a tentative dissertation topic. Three faculty members proposed by the Department and appointed on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council constitute the Doctoral Committee which directs the preparation and completion of the dissertation. The Doctoral Committee certifies that a completed dissertation is satisfactory through the signature of the Committee members on the signature page of the dissertation.
LOWER-DIVISION
1A-B-C Fundamentals of German (5-5-5) F, W, S. Emphasizes the development of meaningful communicative skills in German for the purposes of interaction with German speakers and beginning study of German. With a learner-centered approach the courses help students develop speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural skills and knowledge. Prerequisite for German 1A: none; for German 1B: German 1A with a grade of C or better, one to two years of high school German, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required); for German 1C: German 1B or S1AB with a grade of C or better, two to three years of high school German, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required). German 1A-B-C and S1AB-BC may not both be taken for credit.
S1AB-BC Fundamentals of German (7.5-7.5) Summer. First-year German in a time-intensive form. Equivalent to German 1A-B-C during the academic year. For description, see German 1A-B-C. Prerequisite for German S1AB: none; for S1BC: German S1AB or 1B with a grade of C or better, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required). German S1AB-BC and 1A-B-C may not both be taken for credit.
2A-B-C Intermediate German (4-4-4) F, W, S. Emphasizes the development of meaningful communicative skills in German for the purposes of interaction with German speakers and intermediate study of German. With a learner-centered approach, the courses help students develop reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammatical, and cultural skills and knowledge. First-year grammar is reviewed and expanded. Prerequisite for German 2A: German 1C or S1BC with a grade of C or better, three to four years of high school German, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required); for German 2B: German 2A with a grade of C or better, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required); for German 2C: German 2B or S2AB with a grade of C or better, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required). German 2A-B-C and S2AB-S2BC may not both be taken for credit. (2A: VI)
S2AB-BC Intermediate German (6-6) Summer. Second-year German in a time-intensive form. Equivalent to German 2A-B-C during academic year. For description see German 2A-B-C. Prerequisite for S2AB: German S1BC or 1C, three to four years of high school German, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required); for S2BC: German 2B or S2AB with a grade of C or better, or the equivalent (UCI placement test required). German S2AB-S2BC and German 2A-B-C may not both be taken for credit. (S2AB: VI)
50 Science, Society, and Mind (4) F, W, S. Historical, philosophical, and literary reflections by German writers on the rise of the modern sciences. In English. Designed primarily for nonmajors. May be taken three times for credit as topics vary. (IV, VII-B)
53 Advanced Conversation (2) S. Includes reading of political and cultural material. Conducted in German. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite or corequisite: German 2C or consent of instructor.
97 Fundamentals of German (with Emphasis on Reading) (4) F, W, S. Designed primarily for students interested in acquiring a solid reading knowledge of German, and to facilitate the understanding and translating of German texts dealing with a variety of disciplines. Not open to German majors or minors. Does not serve as prerequisite for any higher-level German courses or fulfill any undergraduate foreign language requirement.
99 Special Studies German (1 to 5) F, W, S. Consultation with instructor necessary prior to enrollment. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
UPPER-DIVISION
NOTE: Upper-division courses normally are taught in German. Exceptions are German 103, 139, 140, 150, and 160.
100 Advanced German. Competence in reading, writing, and speaking German. Prerequisite: German 2C or equivalent or consent of instructor.
100A Advanced Reading (4). Competence in reading expository German with emphasis on vocabulary expansion, comprehension of complex syntactical structures, and cultural literacy. Topics such as women in the Nazi period, reading the German news. (VII-B)
100B Advanced Writing (4). Competence in writing German including selected specialized skills and vocabulary. Topics such as business German, the art of letter writing. (VII-B)
100C Advanced Oral Communication (4). Oral proficiency with emphasis on active listening, communication skills, discussion strategies, and pronunciation. Topics such as the art of conversation, media and mass communication. (VII-B)
101 Introduction to German Literature and Culture (4) F. Sample interpretations of texts in their cultural and historical contexts. Introduction to critical language in German. Prerequisite: German 2C. (VII-B)
102A Literature and Society Since World War II (4). Interdisciplinary introduction to recent German literature not only as an aesthetic phenomenon but also as a social and political force. Methodological problems arising from an analysis of literature in its historical context. Prerequisite: German 2C or consent of instructor. (VII-B)
102B Literature and Society 1918-1945 (4). See above description. Prerequisite: German 2C or consent of instructor. (VII-B)
104 Topics in German Linguistics (4). Explores linguistic, sociolinguistic, or ethnography-of-communication topics of German or other Germanic languages (Swedish, Icelandic, Yiddish, and others). Taught in English. Intermediate knowledge of a Germanic language assumed. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
NOTE: Courses numbered 117 to 199 (with the exception of German 139) may be repeated provided course content changes. German 101 or consent of instructor is prerequisite for courses 117 to 130.
117 Topics in German Literature and Culture 750-1750 (4). Specific course content determined by individual faculty members. Example: Luther and the European Renaissance. (VII-B)
118 Studies in the Age of Goethe (4). Individual authors such as Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, and Hölderlin, or the drama of the "angry young men" of the German 1770s. (VII-B)
119 Studies in Nineteenth-Century German Literature and Culture (4). Individual authors such as Büchner, Grillparzer, Keller, and Nietzsche, or broader social-literary phenomena. (VII-B)
120 Studies in Twentieth-Century German Literature and Culture (4). Individual authors such as Thomas Mann, Brecht, and Kafka, or topics addressing questions of genre and/or social-literary problems. (VII-B)
130 Topics in German Literature and Culture (4). Literary and cultural topics not fully contained within the periods listed above, such as "German Comedy" and "Turn-of-the-Century Vienna." May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
139 Writing about Literature and Culture (4). In English. Requires at least 4,000 words of assigned composition based upon readings in Germanic literatures and cultures. Several essays required. Topics vary. German majors given admission priority. Prerequisites: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement; junior standing or consent of instructor.
140 Topics in Literary Theory and Criticism (4). In English. Theoretical dimensions of literary criticism and the German philosophical tradition. Topics such as Marxism, Freudian thought, the German Idealistic tradition of aesthetics, Historicism, twentieth-century hermeneutics, Frankfurt School, and Rezeptionsaesthetik are explored in a selection of theoretical, critical, and literary texts.
150 German Literature and Culture in Translation (4). In English. Major works in Germanic literature and culture in context. Prerequisite applicable only when offered as an upper-division writing course: upper-division standing and satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
160 German Cinema (4). Historical, theoretical, and comparative perspectives on German cinema. Same as Film Studies 160 when topic is appropriate. (VII-B)
199 Individual Study (1 to 4) F, W, S. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
GRADUATE
All graduate courses offered in the Department fall under the generic titles German 200, 210, 220, and 230. Course titles and contents change according to the instructor teaching them; courses offered under these numbers may be repeated for credit provided the content has changed. Complete course descriptions are available quarterly from the Department and School of Humanities. Applicants and other interested students are encouraged to contact the Department for a description of current offerings.
200 Literary Criticism (4)
210 Literary Theory (4)
220 Selected Topics in German Linguistics (4)
230 Literary and Cultural History (4)
290 Independent Study (4). Counted toward course requirements for the M.A. or Ph.D. A term paper or project is required. Letter grade only. May be repeated for credit.
298 Independent Directed Reading (4 to 12). For students preparing for doctoral examination. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
299 Dissertation Research (4 to 12). For students who have been admitted to doctoral candidacy. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
398A-B The Teaching of German (2-2) F, W. Required of all Teaching Assistants in the German Department. Also open to present and prospective teachers of German who are not Teaching Assistants.
399 University Teaching (4) F, W, S. Limited to Teaching Assistants. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated for credit.
